1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to roofing removal devices and more specifically it relates to a roofing removal apparatus for stripping shingles, roofing paper, tar paper and nails from roof decking prior to replacing and installing new shingles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous roofing removal devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,450 to Welborn; U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,906 to Torbenson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,766 to Himebaugh; U.S. Pat. No. 4,880,491 to Jacobs et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,165 to Jacobs et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,972 to Testa, Jr.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,430 to Nichols; U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,439 to Marra; U.S. Pat. No. 4,086,699 to Olkkola; U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,578 to Mims et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,593 to Oliverius all are illustrative of such prior art.
Welborn (U.S. Pat. No. 4,269,450) discloses an electric motor, a self-propelled frame with the motor driving the frame forward and with front mounted rotary cutter heads disposed from a reversely turning, rotatably driven shaft for removing the shingles.
Torbenson (U.S. Pat. No. 4,232,906) discloses a frame having a handle, a pair of wheels, a motor, and cutter assemblies fixed to the axle having a coil spring portion connecting a cutter portion.
Himebaugh (U.S. Pat. No. 5,218,766) discloses an apparatus having a frame on which is mounted a vertically reciprocable blade having a leading edge adapted to be accommodated beneath a strip of roofing material. The reciprocal movement of the blade causes the roofing material overlying the leading edge to be freed from and lifted off the roof.
While these devices may be suitable for the particular purpose to which they address, they are not as suitable for stripping shingles, roofing paper, tar paper and nails from roof decking prior to replacing and installing new shingles. The prior art inventions are incapable of effectively removing all of the nails securing the shingles, therefore workers must either remove or the nails manually or drive them into the roof decking so as to not injure the new shingles. None of the prior art teaches an invention which utilizes a rotary blade for cutting various sizes of nails used to secure shingles to the roof decking. Further, none of the prior art teaches an invention which leaves a swaged surface free of nails upon the roof decking after removal of shingles.
In these respects, the roofing removal apparatus according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of stripping shingles, roofing paper, tar paper and nails from roof decking prior to replacing and installing new shingles.